In the end, someone found they couldn't just abandon Abu Ali's disciple. A young man stepped forward resolutely and shouted, "Spare this poor man!"
The young man wore only a thin tunic, his slender figure a stark contrast to the heavily bundled crowd on this cold night. The wind howled, and though everyone around was wrapped tightly in heavy coats, he seemed unbothered, as if the bone-chilling cold meant nothing to him.
The tunic's collar was low, and as he strode forward, it revealed a large tattoo covering his neck.
The tattoo was an intricate astrolabe. Its fine lines traced the paths of the stars, as if a patch of the night sky had been etched onto his skin.
